People with mental illness have an increased risk of physical disease, as well as reduced access to adequate health care. Physical-health disparities are observed across all mental illnesses in all countries. The high rate of physical comorbidity, which often has poor clinical management, reduces life expectancy for people with mental illness and increases the personal, social, and economic cost of mental illness across the lifespan. This Commission summarises advances in understanding on the topic of physical health in people with mental illness and presents clear directions for health promotion, clinical care, and future research. It aims to: (1) establish highly pertinent aspects of physical health-related morbidity and mortality that have transdiagnostic applications; (2) highlight the common modifiable factors that drive disparities in physical health; (3) present actions and initiatives for health policy and clinical services to address these issues; and (4) identify promising areas for future research that could identify novel solutions.

An infographic: a blueprint for protecting physical health in mental health.

Niall Boyce talks to Fiona Gaughran of the UK National Psychosis Service about how mental health services can improve their care of patients’ physical health.

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Download The Lancet Psychiatry Commission: a blueprint for protecting physical health in people with mental illness

We promote a normalising approach to understanding psychosis. We believe experiences and beliefs commonly regarded as symptoms of psychosis are often highly understandable reactions to adverse life events. Our primary aim is to develop ways of reducing the distress of people with these experiences, as well as developing ways of restoring their autonomy and dignity.